During 5 days living with the primitive Mundari tribe, Vietnamese tourists witnessed many unusual things such as bathing and drinking cow urine.
In October, Noah Nguyen (Itchy Feet Again) traveled to South Sudan, a country that gained independence in 2011 after decades of ethnic conflict, on a trip around Africa. He visited tribes like the Lotuko, where people used to live in caves, and the Toposa, where people live on gold mines, wearing gold and silver from head to toe. In particular, Noah spent 5 days living with the Mundari tribe and was constantly surprised by their way of life.
The Mundari are one of the indigenous ethnic groups in the Nile Valley, living a primitive life, close to nature. There are currently about 100,000 Mundari people living in South Sudan, mainly in northern Juba, about 75 km from the capital of this country.
Noah arrived at a Mundari village on the last days of his journey in South Sudan. The houses were made of thatched roofs, mud walls, and wooden frames. The smoke from burning grass and coconut leaves was said to ward off “snakes and insects,” according to villagers.
Noah takes a photo with Mundari tribe children. Photo: Itchy Feet Again
On the morning of the third day, Noah witnessed a Mundari wedding. The bride had to stay in a small house and was not allowed to leave until the officials from both families had returned. Notably, the groom did not appear because he was "busy tending cows" and was told that he would return to the village in two days.
Normally, the bride is not allowed to meet anyone, but a guest from afar like Noah is an exception. He is allowed to meet the bride before the groom. During the conversation, the bride reveals that she is "worth" 80 cows, a higher than average number. To the Mundari, cows are the most important thing and all values can be converted to cows.
"The number of cows depends on the woman, short women deserve less cows, tall women will get more. Anyone without cows will never get married," a man who said he paid 35 cows to marry his wife told Noah.
During this time, Noah came to a pasture with thousands of white cattle like Ankole Watusi with giant horns, known as the "king of cattle".
The Mundari usually stay on one grazing land for two to three months. When the grass runs out, they move their cattle to another, more densely forested area.
A man sits next to a pile of ashes burned with cow dung. Photo: Lai Nguu Chan
In the morning, children would scoop up cow dung to clean the grazing area. The dung was then burned to “keep insects away.” The ashes could also be plastered on the body, providing insulation on a hot day.
The grazing grounds are often far from villages and water is scarce, so the Mundari people often use cow urine as a source of drinking water. In one corner of the grazing area, a man pours cow urine over his head. In another corner, a man sticks his head directly into a urinating cow and uses his hands to catch the urine to wash his face and hair in a refreshing way.
A little further on, Noah saw a man drinking a bottle of cow urine, who said the water tasted salty. "We even wash baby bottles with cow urine," he said, claiming that cow urine is a "miracle cure for skin diseases."
Cows are also closely associated with the Mundari people's lives through their milk. Since childhood, they have drunk milk directly from the cow's udder. Occasionally, they also milk into water jugs to take to the market to exchange for rice to cook porridge.
In return for the cows’ blessings, the Mundari people apply a mixture of ash and urine to the cows in the morning, then gently massage them. This helps the cows relax and “produce better quality milk and meat.”
Drinking milk directly or bathing in cow urine were not the strangest images Noah witnessed. To stimulate cows to produce more milk before milking, the Mundari also put their faces into the cow's anus to "blow air". Each blowing session can last up to 4 minutes, and when one person gets tired, another person will take over. According to the Mundari, "blowing air" also has the effect of making abandoned cows accept their calves back.
Two Mundari people bathe in cow urine contained in plastic cans. Photo: Lai Nguu Chan
After five days with the Mundari tribe and returning to normal life, Noah still imagined the smell of burning grass mixed with cow dung or the smell of plastic bottles containing urine. Their "naked" life became an unforgettable part of Noah's journey to conquer lands that few people have set foot on.
Tu Nguyen
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